Pronghorn Resort (Fazio and Nicklaus Courses)
Played Pronghorn in 2021 with my buddies Jeff, Don and Brian. Pronghorn is in Bend, which is about a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive from Portland in the middle of nowhere. It’s a cool drive as you will experience every topography known to man – you go through (up and down) Mt. Hood National Forest, then a combo plains/mesa thing that looks like the backdrop for many a western, then “Iowa in Oregon,” then high desert.
We just did a quick couple of days here so didn’t get to experience Bend at all so can’t tell you much (nor did we golf at any of the other courses out here like Tetherow) but we all agreed that this would be a pretty fun guys’ golf trip – as long as you don’t mind remote places with a long drive or connecting into a tiny airport.
I see on various review and golf ranking sites that there is some debate about the better course here – the Fazio or Nicklaus. Let me put an end to that now: Fazio is the hands-down better course in all of our opinions. While both feature beautiful backgrounds, the foreground of Fazio is more appealing than that of the Nicklaus. There is a sameness to the holes on the Nicklaus and while it is “harder” than Fazio, you’ll find the Fazio is more of a mind-f*ck. Plus Fazio has one of the likely top 18 holes I’ve ever played – the par-three 8th (more on that later). Fazio is private but if you stay here, and on the right days, you can play it.
If you look on the site at the resort map, you’d think the courses were littered with surrounding homes. Well whether it’s not nearly built out yet or the homes were just far enough from the heart of the courses that you didn’t notice them, this is a pair of great visual courses that offer unobstructed views of the distant mountains or deserty landscape. In fact the only home I remember is the one on the Fazio 8th that looks out on the hole and is a complement versus distraction.
Before I get into the courses, let me digress a bit. So on this trip we flew into Portland, stayed in Vancouver at our friend Brian’s, drove to Salish Cliffs outside of Olympia, I had a meeting in Olympia (while the other guys golfed at Chambers Bay) and then drove down through Portland to Bend. Not once did I set foot in Seattle or Portland on this trip. Portland – and Seattle to a slightly lesser degree – have become like a Mad Max movie.
I’ve been out to Portland maybe a dozen or so times. Lately, with my friend Brian and his wife Ronie, we’ve always gone into Portland for dinner, a naked bike ride/race (spectators only), or other activities. The last time I went into the city was with my daughters. I was really dismayed then with the homelessness problem. It was really an unsafe environment that I would in no way trust my girls there alone. And that was before COVID 19. Now, with the issues only exacerbated post-COVID and the crime/graffiti/trash/BLM riots mess, we wouldn’t (and I wouldn’t) go near the city. What a shame. And I saw the same in Austin earlier this year. And to a lesser degree in Philly. I have always been a city traveler; I love going into cities where the dining and entertainment scene has always been my draw. The lawlessness (and/or failed liberal leadership of the major cities) has made these areas nearly un-visitable.
So on this trip, instead of exploring downtown Portland or Seattle, we kept it suburban. While Olympia seemed like a dump for the most part, there were some decent areas and Anthony’s on the waterfront was a great time (seafood). Vancouver, WA near Portland has also added a great downtown waterfront area and we walked the area and grabbed eats at Dosalas which had great margaritas and appies and okay meals (we ordered the tomahawk for the table at $150 but it needed charring). I HIGHLY recommend staying there instead of fighting to go into the city. It’s more convenient to the airport and I didn’t trip over one homeless person nor got accosted by anyone.
But I digress – to Fazio. So if you’re here and you want a putting green and short game area, keep in mind both courses offer these. We were goofing around on Nicklaus and didn’t realize that. Secondly, there were no starter or cart girls when we played so you kind of go out there on your own. We did have proper liquid hydration in the coolers but keep in mind that there were no Miller Lites – you’re stuck with Coors Lights here.
Fazio one sets the table for what is a visually intimidating course. From the tee you see nothing but sand right and water in front but aim left and even a slightly pulled drive will not put you in any trouble. We played the rust tees here which measured over 6,400 yards. The elevation will give you a little pop and the slope here is 131, so it’s manageable without being a pushover. Again, if you ignore the mind games Fazio plays with you on the tees, there is room here.
I could really go into every hole but the photos below tell the story pretty well – zoom in on your phone. To eight. Holy shit what a golf hole. From the rust tees it’s 155 yards. The hole is set in a hollow with a cliff above it. a rock wall to navigate on your tee shot – especially with our left pin placement. Oh and below the hole is another drop and beneath the hole is a cave (lava tube). Talk about a visually intimidating shot. I hit a great six iron at the pin but went long into a trap. I got out and tapped in for par. My buddy Don hit on the upper level behind the green and almost chipped in for birdie. Brian and Jeff hit a pair of regulation greens and parred. Not bad though for a group of hacks. In all, I shot a perfectly middling 45 on the front.
I started the tough par-four tenth with a birdie. We do a whiskey shot for every birdie. Unfortunately (or fortunately) this was the only one of the round. I drove the ball okay and besides the 12th and 18th, played really well on the back for an 89. Again, if you don’t let Fazio play mind games with you, this is a manageable course.
While I put Fazio in my top 100, Nicklaus is a bit lower IMO. The holes seem somewhat similar and the 18th was a real disappointment. Also thirteen is another top hole in golf – labeled below. But don’t get me wrong, it is sure better than a sharp stick in the eye or your run-of-the-mill muni. Nicklaus is harder – over 6,500 yards from the rust and a 138 slope. I added photos below the Fazio ones for your viewing pleasure. The 600-yard eighth sticks out to me as does the 11th where you really have no idea where to hit the ball until you get to your approach. Also thirteen is another top hole in golf – labeled below. I shot the old 45, 45, 90 here which while one stroke higher than Fazio was actually a lower index. The great thing, I never lost a ball nor took higher than a double. The bad news? Not one birdie and after my first hole par I only had one additional par all day.
We ate outside at the Trailhead here and while not bad it was not great either. Definitely stay here and have fun at the huge firepit where we were shushed on multiple occasions while cranking tunes and hanging out with a mom and dad, their adult daughters, a few resort rats and a rogue golfer dude. Rooms were nice and the resort was clean and new.
Fazio
Nicklaus
Golf Scrapbook 